The Mage of Lakeshire
by aliedcam1
Summary: A tale about a mage from Redridge who returns from a quest to find his town destroyed. Now he must grow stronger and more powerful in order to track down those who destroyed his home so he can put the restless spirits of his past to rest.
1. Chapter 1: Origins

The Mage from Redridge

Jaem, a frail man dressed in a light blue robe made of wool, stumbled through the brush in between two of the hills that dotted the area to the north of Lakeshire. Catching himself with the wooden stave that he carried, Jaem paused to catch his breath and wiped the sweat off of his brow. The sun was low in the sky to his back, bathing the earth around him in an orange-red glow which forced Jaem to squint forward into the distance.

Running a hand through his already thinning hair, he tried to figure out what to do next. Ahead of him was a small army of gnolls, and behind him rose the hills of Redridge. They were as much a barrier to escape back to the relative safety of Lakeshire before dark as a magical barrier would had been. Jaem had spent little time outdoors, and already found himself quite lost in the outdoors. With night fast approaching and in the midst of so many gnolls, he found himself regretting answering Verner Osgood's request to go kill Yowler, the ring leader of the gnolls. What was he doing out here? He was an academic! Not some warrior who had the build of a tree trunk!

Should he turn back now, or continue onward? Indecision gripped him and the sun slipped below the hill behind him, leaving Jaem in shadow. The decision was made for him, however when in twilight as his resolve was at its weakness. A small patrol of gnolls had spotted him and began running toward him, weapons drawn and inhuman snarling and growling filling the air.

"Oh no," Jaem groaned. Bringing his stave in front of him, he began channeling mana into a quick spell, and the ground erupted under the feet of the first gnomes. Picking themselves back up, the gnolls looked angrier then hurt and they rushed at Jaem with greater ferocity, until the first one caught a more concentrated fireball to its snout. It yelped loudly and dropped to the ground in pain, quickly Jaem tried to focus his mana again but by then the gnolls were on them. The first one leapt onto Jaem's chest and knocked the thin mage over, knocking the wind out of him. The gnoll raised his small dagger high up over his head and Jaem threw his opponent off of his chest with his stave, and then swung it around in an attempt to clear the gnolls off of him. Quickly letting the mana escape from his body, the gnolls were sent flying backwards in an explosion.

Getting on his feet, Jaem began casting another spell at the nearest gnoll in an attempt to finish it off while it was still on the ground. The elements of ice flowed through his veins and gathered at his finger tips, with a thought the mana was released and slammed into the gnoll, the ice bludgeoning him to death. Sweeping frantically backwards, Jaem looked behind him just in time to see another gnoll get up on its feet and lung at his throat. Unable to do anything to defend himself Jaem flinched involuntarily and closed his eyes. A loud _crack _sounded and the gnoll hit the ground at Jaem's feet, opening his eyes in shock looked around, unsure of where the shot had come from.

There were no more gnolls left and Jaemallowed himself a moment to relax. Still looking around in the gloom, Jaemstill had no idea what had killed that last…

"Down here lad!" came a voice from around Jael's waist.

Jumping slightly, Jaemlooked down to see a dwaf holding a rifle and dressed in heavy mail chains. Eyes widening he jumped backward slightly, and the dwarf chuckled, "Jumpy aintcha lad? What might ya be doin' all the way out here?"

Jaem cleared his throat and replied, "Osgood…sent me out here. Kill Yowler, thought it would stop the gnolls."

"All by yerself?" The dwarf said, "There be at least a hundred gnolls in these hills!"

"I'm beginning to realize that this was a fool's errand," Jaem said dryly.

"And look at ye! Ye aint got meat on those bones!" The dwarf continued, "How do ye hope to kill Yowler when ye get to him? And yer balding! Madness!" The dwarf pulled a flask out of his coat pocket and took a swig of a very strong smelling liquid.

"Can you cease mocking me and tell me your name and whether or not you intend to help me?" Jaem snapped, tapping his stave on the ground angrily.

"Oh, I think I hit a nerve, but ye got some fire in ya…and I like that. My name be Orres…a dwarf hunter. I specialize in survival in the wilderness…what be yer name mage?"

"Jaem…of Lakeshire," Jaem replied.

"Well Jaem, pleased to make ya boy. Now, let's go kill a gnoll. Come Pinky," Orres said, motioning to a boar that Jaem had not noticed.

"Is that your pet?" Jaem asked.

"No lad, Pinky be my partner. Now come on, Yowler be this way…I spotted his camp when I was passin' through," Orres motioned, taking another swig of…whatever he was drinking. Jaem was sure that he could catch Lake Everstill on fire with whatever he was drinking.

* * *

Jaem and Orres moved for the next few hours through the hills that covered the Redridge area, avoiding as many fights as they could but killing the gnolls who were unlucky enough to cross their path. Jaem and Orres made an excellent team, and the made good progress without taking any serious injury…and even Pinky the Boar turned out to be invaluable.

They came across Yowler's camp early in the morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise. There was no movement among the tents and the fire from the night before was nothing more than smoldering coals and embers.

"What do ye think lad?" Orres asked as they peered over the ridge at the encampment.

"Clearly they aren't expecting company. I doubt they expected anybody to get past their perimeter without being spotted," Jaem considered.

"So…a frontal assault then? I like that!" Orres said grabbing his rifle and jumping out of cover, "For Khaz Modan!" he shouted.

Jaem hesitated, but after a second he pulled his stave off his back and ran across the field in an attempt to catch up with the dwarf. For a creature with such short legs, they certainly could move quickly over short distances. The first of the gnolls lifted its head up from its sleeping mat, sniffing the air, until Jaem's first fireball found its snout and it went down with a yelp. The smell of burning hair filled the air and four other gnolls leapt to their feet.

Ice blossomed from one palm and fire from the other, and Jaem burned and bloodied two of the gnolls while Orres and Pinky bit, shot, and tackled the other two into submission. Bloodied and bruised, the trio panted heavily as the last gnoll fell with a forlorn howl and Jaem knew he was at his limit.

"Well done!" Orres yelled as he sat on the ground with an auditable _thud_, "Now which one is Yowler?"

"I…don't know," Jaem panted. A loud howl echoed from behind Jaem, and he turned around to see a gnoll twice the size of the other ones emerging from a tent.

"Ah," Orres said, "Methinks he's the one."

"Indeed," Jaem said.

Yowler growled and grabbed a sword from a fallen gnoll, charging the seated dwarf. Thinking quickly, Jaem used a minor ice spell and froze Yowler's legs in place. That gave Orres enough time to get on his feet, and cursing loudly, reload his rifle. Yowler growled and lunged at Jaem, landing firmly on his chest planting him in the ground.

"Help!" Jaem yelled as drool from Yowler's jaws dribbled onto his face.

"I'm comin' lad!" Orres shouted as he fired a shot into the flank of the beast, and the oversized gnoll screamed and flailed, letting Jaem's arm go. Using what little mana he had left, Jaem pointed his palm up into the face of the beast and Yowler's eyes erupted in flame. This time he got off Jaem altogether, and scrambled backwards…right into the smoldering campfire.

Jaem got up coughing and he watched as a blinded, bleeding, and blazing Yowler screamed in pain as loud as he could…until Orres walked over and placed one last round in his head, finally killing the beast.

"Comeon lad! Let's get out of here! Every gnoll within a mile will 'ave heard that!" Orres roared.

"I will not be but a moment Orres! I must claim Yowler's paw…else this was all for naught!" Jaem shouted as he pulled a knife from his backpack, with a quick downward slice Jaem severed Yowler's paw and stuffed it into his pack.

"Let's _go_ lad!" Orres shouted, "They're coming!"

Jaem stood up and started running after the dwarf, once again struggling to catch up.

* * *

Jaem's stave fell out of his hand, and he stared at the smoldering remains of Lakeshire. His home for the past twenty years was in ruins, and though Jaem had always suspected that this would happen to the frontier town…it still came as a shock.

"I'm…sorry lad," Orres said softly. Everything as on fire, and the air was thick with black smoke. Jaem pulled Yowler's paw out of his bag and dropped it on the ground.

"I shall not need it," Jaem said numbly. The blacksmith's forge caved in and Jaem fell to his knees.

"There's nothing left for ya here lad," Orres said calmly, "But I think I might know who did this."

"Who?" Jaem said softly.

"The Horde….probably a few of their powerful sorcerers. This has always been a contested district," Orres said.

Jaem stood up and slowly, picked up his belongings, "I'm leaving. You can come if you want Orres…but I'm going to Stormwind. It will a place to start over."

"Then to Stormwind it is lad. I'll help ya get there in one piece."


	2. Chapter 2: A Beginning of a Journey

Chapter 2: The Beginning of a Journey

_Jaem walked along the docks that border the shores of Lake Everstill, smiling as Nathan and Rachel chased each other along the length of the docks. The sun was setting, and the yellow orange glow reflected off of the still water that gave the lake its name, and Jaem waved to Guard Howell at the edge of the bridge. The smell of fish cooking rose up from the Inn's kitchen, and Jaem breathed in deeply, savoring the smell that was making his mouth water. He walked slowly across the stone bridge that cut across the Lake, staff making a light _thud_ with every other stride. Twilight fell as Jaem reached the other side of the lake, and he looked back at his home town to see lights begin appearing in the windows and doorways of the various buildings. The sounds of people laughing and celebrating drifted across the water, as did the occasional whinny from a horse, and Jaem allowed himself a moment to relax and know that he was truly home. _

_A moment later, the world around him pulled backward as though a giant was taking a deep breath behind him…and a moment later that breath exploded across the water and all of the lights that lit up Lakeshire went dark. There was a brief moment of perfect darkness and silence, and then a single scream pierced the night, shattering the quite. In an instant, Lakeshire returned to view but wreathed in flames. Every building was on fire and people were running from something unseen and sinister, something worse then gnolls or orcs. _

_"Only fate has saved your life, but you returned and now your life is mine…" a voice rasped behind him. Fear gripped Jaem, and he spun around only to see an infinite blackness which swallowed him whole…._

_

* * *

  
_

Jaem sat straight up in his bed, sweat covered his body and the terror of the moment still gripped him. Realizing that he was in the Wizard's Sanctum in Stormwind, he relaxed slightly. It had been a nightmare, one of many that had been haunting his dreams in the years since he had left Redridge with Orres for Stormwind, bringing the bad news of the loss of another frontier colony to the nobility of Stormwind, further boxing in the capital city of the humans.

Jaem settled back down and tried desperately to get himself comfortable, but he knew it was no use. Rising as silently as possible, he dressed in his silken robe and slippers and left the barracks trying not to wake any of the other students of the Wizard's Sanctum. He walked down the spiraling ramp to the bottom of the tower, the sun was beginning to peak over Stormwind Keep to the east, momentarily blinding the young mage.

At the bottom of the tower, Jaem spotted Archmage Malin admiring the sunrise. He turned to greet the student, "Good morning Jaem."

"Good morning, Archmage," Jaem replied respectfully.

"What brings you out here this early? Your instruction won't begin for another couple hours," Malin inquired.

"I couldn't sleep, Archmage. Nightmare," Jaem explained.

"I see."

The Archmage was silent for a few minutes and both watched the sun creep higher over Stormwind keep. Finally the Archmage cleared his throat and said, "You've made remarkable progress over the years since you've been here. The instructors agree, there's little more you can learn from us now."

Jaem raised his eyebrows in surprise, but kept silent. Archmage Malin took Jaem's silence as permission to continue, "You are to go to Theramore Island and enter Dustwallow Marsh. There you will seek out Tabetha, an old ally of the mages…you will take further instruction from her."

Jaem thought it over for a moment, "When will I be leaving? And how will I be getting there?"

The Archmage grinned, "Not a word of protest. Excellent. You'll make it far following directions without any problem. You'll take the Tram from Stormwind to Ironforge, the city of the dwarves. From there you will travel to the human settlement of Menethil Harbor and take the boat to Theramore Island. Do you understand? You leave as soon as you're ready."

"I understand, Archmage."

Archmage Malin turned away, which Jaem took correctly as his dismissal.

Two hours later, Jaem walked down the tower once again, backpack on his back and staff in his hand. A traveling cloak covered his whole body and the hood was pulled over his head so he could keep the sun out of his eyes.

_I wonder who this Tabetha woman is, _he wondered to himself as he wound his way through the crowds of Stormwind, he stopped for a moment to admire the flowers outside of one of the shops that bordered the many canals that ran through Stormwind. The lilies were in bloom, Jaem saw and a wave of sadness swept over him. His sister loved it when the lilies were in bloom…she would always put them in her hair and run up and down the shores of the lake…

Jaem had to shake himself in order not to slide into even more disparaging thoughts. Little Elli would no longer need Lilies, and Jaem pushed her from his mind. Looking around, Jaem took off for the Dwarven District, moving slowly at first but quicker and quicker, leaving the cursed lilies and their memories behind him.

The Dwarven District sat in the Northeastern corner of Stormwind, and was full of Dwarves and Gnomes who were busy smelting ore, working forges, and pounding iron into weapons and armor. The Tram was an amazing feat of technical engineering which was carved straight through a mountain range and connected the two capital cities of Stormwind and Ironforge together.

Entering the tunnel, Jaem found himself fighting a torrent of passengers who had just exited the tram. Luckily for Jaem, most of the passengers were dwarves and gnomes, and were only able to come up to his waist at best.

"Hey watchit!" a pink haired gnome squeaked at him when Jaem put his staff down on her head.

"Whoops! Sorry!" Jaem called after the gnome, but she was already gone so Jaem continued to push his way through the surge of the crowd until he finally arrived at the platform. He had seen the tram before, but it would be his first time riding on it. The cars looked like picnic baskets which dangled from a cable that ran overhead, all the way through a tunnel that had been carved through a solid mountain range and underwater by a commission from the King of Ironforge to a series of great gnomish inventors.

Jaem took a hesitant step onto the last car of the train, he barely had time to pull himself inside when the vehicle took off at full speed, throwing him against the back railing. Flailing his arms as he panicked and grabbed on to the railing for dear life, "Who designed this cursed thing?!" he demanded of no one in particular.

A night elf dressed in armor chuckled at the flailing mage, "The gnomes did of course, only a twenty percent fatality rating. Good enough for the gnomes."

Jaem gulped, "Surely you're joking?"

The night elf chuckled, but remained silent. The tram sped along through the tunnel, and Jaem stayed as far from the edge as he could get. Suddenly the Tram traveled out from a tunnel into a well lit glass portion of the tunnel, which traveled underwater. Jaem stood open mouthed at the wonderful underwater view, colorful fish flew by as the tram continued its trip uncaring.

"Don't get out much, do you mage?" the night elf asked.

Jaem considered before saying, "No, I rarely left Stormwind for the past couple years. What of it, night elf?"

The night elf tilted his head at Jaem for a moment, his long ears twitched slowly as though thinking, "Where are you going now mage?"

Jaem paused before saying, "I make for Theramore Island, I have business in the swamp."

The night elf wrinkled his nose, "A nasty place that. I am Soroth, and I happen to be traveling in the same direction. If you would like, I shall accompany you."

Jaem opened his mouth to reply when the Tram halted abruptly, and Jaem went sprawling forward, bashing his face on the ground. Looking up, Jaem saw that Soroth was laughing openly now, "You…could certainly…use the help!" the warrior managed in between laughs.

"Oh shut up," Jaem said dryly as he got himself onto his feet, "I am Jaem of Lakeshire, and I will gladly accept your help to get to Theramore Island, now let us be off this accursed machine."

* * *

The city of Ironforge was carved out of a mountain and centered around an enormous forge, from which molten iron flowed without stopping. The light from the forge lit the majority of the inner circle of the city, and provided warmth. The Great Forge, as it was called, was surrounded by shops and inns of every variety and had the entrance to the Throne Room centered to north. From the inns came the sound of the hearty dwarf's laughter and the clinking of mugs together, it made Jaem feel at ease.

Coming up to the edge of the Great Forge he looked down into the churning molten iron and gulped, "So these are the forges of the greatest of blacksmiths in all of Azeroth," the mage mused to himself.

Soroth heard him and snorted, "Yes, but don't let the dwarves hear you say that. Their egos need no more inflation."

Jaem laughed as he remembered Orres, "Yes, quite. They hardly need that."

The two traveling companions made for the gates of Ironforge, and as they neared the gate the area became more crowded with diverse numbers of races, though the majority of the crowds were still gnomes and dwarves making it easy for Jaem to see over their heads. The area around the gate was clearly commerce based, and Jaem paused for a moment as they passed a pub and a leatherworking shop.

"The pub is full already," Jaem noted with some surprise, "It's only nine in the morning!"

Soroth chucked, "Just wait till Brewfest, it's the dwarves favorite holiday. They won't stop drinking for a week. I just hope the dark iron dwarves don't show up this year, they enjoy crashing the party."

"Dark iron dwarves? They were banished from Ironforge when the city was first built, right?" Jaem asked, trying to recall where he had heard them mentioned before.

Soroth nodded, "That's right. They've since inhabited Blackrock Mountain to the south. Thing is, they enjoy drinking ale as much as the mountain dwarves do and feel resentment when they aren't invited to the festival…so every year they try to crash it. But it won't be Brewfest for another couple months, and the dark irons rarely leave their mountain. I doubt we'll run into them."

The two continued past the barricades and choke points that made up the entrance to the city, and a cold blast of wind snapped at the mage and he shivered. _I'm glad I thought to pack an extra cloak,_ he thought as he dug it out of his backpack and threw it on. The night elf did not seem phased by the cold weather despite wearing nothing but solid armor. Without stopping, the night elf began the dissent down the mountain, and Jaem walked briskly to keep up with him.

The entrance to Ironforge faced south, and across the valley of Dun Morogh and Soroth pointed to the mountain range that bordered the valley's southern edge, "That's the home of the dark iron dwarves, the searing gorge and Blackrock mountain beyond. "

Jaem shrugged, the dark irons were of no interested to him. He was no dwarf after all, and the split between the dark irons and the mountain dwarves was an internal matter…

"What of the horde?" Jaem asked as they turned east and continued down the mountain range. He watched Soroth carefully for any reaction, and was surprised to see the night elf already studying him.

"What about them?" the night elf asked, his ears twitching slightly.

"I know very little about them, but with the fighting that's already broken out between the dwarves and the horde in the Alteric valley, the Stormgarde forces and the forsaken in the Arathi Basin over the resources of that region it seems like war will erupt at any time between the Alliance and the Horde. I just want to know more about them."

The night elf nodded, "And the forces of Orgrimmar continue to try to push across the Warsong gulch into Ashenvale. Yes, the Horde's forces have continued to clash with elements of the Alliance all over Azeroth."

"Will we run into them?" Jaem asked as he raised palm to his face, bits of flame danced across it.

Soroth shrugged, "Who can say?"

The flames disappeared from Jaem's hand and he let the subject drop, and the two continued on in silence. After several hours of walking on the cobblestone road, they came to the dwarves constructed tunnel of Dun Algaz, which provided a path under the mountains for travelers to go between the Wetlands and the lands around Loch Modan, which was now off to their east. A small contingent of guards from Ironforge were stationed outside the tunnel and the two traveling companions approached.

"Hello?" Jaem asked cautiously.

"What can I do fer ya?" the closest guard asked and Jaem smiled, remembering Orres.

"What are Ironforge guards doing here? Is there trouble in the Wetlands?" Soroth asked.

"Nae lad, not exactly," the dwarf took a drink out of a hip flask before continuing, "There be dragonmaw orcs that have taken over the tunnel, we do nae know why."

"Orcs?" Jaem asked, his manner brightening, "Horde?"

"Are yea deaf laddy? I said _dragonmaw_ orcs. Not orcs from Durotar. If yea wanna travel through the pass, watch yer step," the dwarf said.

The tunnel was lit by torches, and carved from the mountain itself. Throughout the first part the pair had passed several patrols of Ironforge guards, but eventually they stopped appearing and the tunnel became darker. A stench that Jaem had never smelled began to dominate the hallway, and torchlight was fewer and far between, making the hallways increasingly darker.

"What is that stench?" Jaem whispered as he followed half a step behind the warrior, he was beginning to gag.

"Orcs," Soroth whispered back as he drew the claymore that was sheathed over his back, "Their habits are less then hygienic."

Concentrating, the mage began to draw on his mana and he felt the palm of his hands begin to warm. Trying to peer into the darkness ahead, Jaem strained his senses trying to hear or see anything that even resembled an Orc.

"Something's not right," the warrior hissed, "The stench is too strong…"

Channeling the mana through his palm into his staff, a light shone brightly all around the dark hallway and Jaem jumped in surprise, "We're surrounded!" he shouted.

Sure enough, there were a number of bald headed, red skinned, snarling creatures: orcs. The orcs raised their hands to shield their eyes, and Soroth charged the first orc, stabbing him through his stomach.

"Run!" he shouted and took off at a sprint down the corridor.

As he started running, the mage quickly cast a frost nova, a spell that froze all of his enemies in place for a short time all around him. The walls quickly became thick with ice and the Orcs screamed curses in their own guttural language. The light and shadow bobbed around the halls as Jaem pumped his arm, the light on the staff guiding their way.

From a cross corridor two orcs stepped in their path, one holding a club the other a sword. Casting quickly, Jaem sent a fireball from his left hand straight into the face the one holding a sword, while Soroth ducked under a swing with the club, rolling under the orc's feet. Both rolled on the floor, howling in agony but the two did not pause, they continued running. More guttural screams rose from behind them, spurring the two travelers onward.

"By Illidan's beard! How could the dwarves let the orcs so deep into alliance territory!?" Jaem cursed.

"The dwarves won't defend themselves unless Ironforge itself is at risk!" Soroth hissed.

Jaem paused for a moment to hurl another fireball into the darkness behind him, a painful howl told him that he had made a direct hit, "I should have gotten out of the tower ages ago!" Jaem said laughing.

"Thrall's balls! You're enjoying this, aren't you?!" Soroth shouted, shocked, "I thought mages were supposed to be smart, not crazy!"

Jaem just grinned, but kept running. A light was now visible at the end of the tunnel and the two quickened their pace. Breaking out through the entrance into day light, both Jaem and Soroth skidded to a halt. They were once again surrounded, but by nearly two dozen orcs this time.

"This is bad," Jaem said darkly.

"Not so much fun now, huh?" Soroth said grimly.

The orcs that had been pursuing them came out of the tunnel, effectively cutting of their other route of escape. Jaem brought his staff up in front of him, readying his mana and Soroth stood back to back with him, sword at the ready.

The orcs that surrounded them were chanting now, and they began to close in. The mage was desperately searching for a way out when a roar louder than any of the others reverberated across the mountain side. An orc twice the size of any of the other two appeared and the other orcs backed away.

"The light of Elune shines on us!" Soroth said.

"Are you crazy!? How is this a _good_ thing?" Jaem shouted.

"This must be their warchief, and he has claimed us as his. None of the others will touch us now."

"Oh."

Sure enough the other orcs were backing off, and Jaem turned to face the warchief. He stood head and shoulders taller than the night elf, who was already a head taller than Jaem. A necklace of skulls was wrapped around the warchief's neck, some human, some dwarven, and even some orc skulls. His tusks were twice as big as any of the other orcs there, and they looked as though they had been sharpened to a tip. In his hands sat the biggest club Jaem had ever seen.

"He must have felled a whole tree for that!" he exclaimed.

The orc raised the club and with a vigorous roar and tried to bring it down on top of their heads, but the two jumped out of the way at the last moment. Soroth darted for the orc's legs and lashed out with his claymore, but the orc quickly stepped backward. Soroth pushed his advantage and with a roaring shout pushed forward. The warchief was rocked backward as Soroth hacked at his ankles and wrists. Frustrated, the warchief screamed and with surprising speed swiped at the warrior, and landing a direct hit which sent him sprawling.

Casting quickly, Jaem conjured a frost bolt and threw it at the warchief's head, dazing it and stunning it. Making a slashing motion with his staff, a thin stream of fire scorched the torso of the creature making it scream. Leaving the warrior staggering to get to its feet, the warchief turned its attention on the mage.

Jaem gulped, thinking quickly as he channeled fire into the ground making it erupt under the beast's feet. Backpedaling back with staff raised in front of him, Jaem tripped over his robe and landed flat on his backside. Some of the orcs nearby began howling with their harsh laughter.

Flailing madly with his staff while sitting as the mage frantically tried to defend himself, suddenly his staff met resistance. He looked up to see he had scored a direct hit on the big orc…right in between its legs.

"Oh," a collective grunt of pain came up from the orcs around them. The warchief fell to his knees, and Soroth's sword appeared from between the massive orc's ribs. He toppled over, dead with a look of extreme pain forever stuck on his face.

"That was…effective," the night elf asked, an odd combination of disgust and amusement on his face. Watching their leader fall to the ground, the other orcs turned and fled, tripping over one another they were in such a hurry to be away from the two travelers.

Jaem began laughing as the orcs retreated away from the mouth of the tunnel or back into it, but his laughter stopped abruptly as Soroth cut off the head of the big orc and began wrapping it up in a burlap sack, "What are you doing!? He's already dead!"

"An orc of this rank and influence must have a bounty on his head in Menethil Harbor…they'll need some proof of his demise," the night elf finished his grizzly work and the two continued up the road away from the tunnel north into the wetlands. Clouds began to billow overhead and a steady rain began to fall on the cobblestones that made up the road.

"Hopefully we'll have no other delays," Jaem said impatiently as he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.

* * *

By the time the two travelers had reached Menethil Harbor, a small human settlement on the west coast of the Eastren Kingdoms. It was a port town which serviced a majority of trade with the western continent: Kalimdor. It was also one of the last major strongholds toward the northern part of the continent, and the presence of guards from both Ironforge and Stormwind was heavy. They had been thrilled to see Soroth's souvenir and it was delivered to the town's commander: a dwarf captain named Stoutfist.

"Ye have no idea how relieved I be to see that devil finally put down!" the Captain had exclaimed, nearly falling over backwards when the head had been put on his desk, "They cannae have had time to replace the old warlord. Lieutenant! Take your men and wipe the dragonmaw out!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I cannae thank ya enough, the ship to Theramore leaves tomorrow, but ya can stay in the Inn tonight! Yer first round be on me!"

So Jaem found himself relaxing in the common room of the Menethil inn, drinking a tankard of ale and puffing easily on a pipe. Soroth sat across from him, drinking his own large tankard of ale and glancing around the room. His armor and sword were already up in their shared room, since they were within the safety of the town's walls.

"How long is the trip across the sea?" Jaem asked as he exhaled smoke through his nose.

"Three days," Soroth said, "I hope you fare on a boat better then you do on the tram."

"Oh shut up."

Soroth grinned at Jaem over his ale.

* * *

Tabitha was working late, her letter from the Mage council in Stormwind on her desk. She was tired, working later then her apprentice which was odd for her. News of an additional apprentice did not make her any happier, she was tired….very tired.

Stepping outside of her small house, the human stretched and breathed in the deep night air. The swamps of Dustwallow were horribly humid…but she accepted her penance as any person should. Touching her stomach, true sadness began to set in…but she beat it back. No matter what her son had become, she still loved him.

The sound of a horse coming up the road attracted her attention, and she watched in the darkness until a set of four blue flames stopped across from her hut, where a rider dismounted. The figure was cloaked in darkness, but from the heavy footsteps she knew the person was wearing plate.

Extending her palm, a ball of fire appeared hovering over her and it illuminate the far side of the bank where a figure stood in a full suit of armor, a claymore in hand with glowing runes down the side of the blade. The eyes of the creature glowed brightly, and Tabitha recoiled slightly.

"Who are you?" she demanded loudly.

"Your executor," the figure growled in a voice that was not that of any mortal.

"If I am to die, may I know who has ordered my death?"

The creature shrugged, the armor clinking around, "The Lich King has decided that you will not undo that which your son has done, the Burning Legion will not have you in the way."

Without warning the creature extended its arm, and Tabitha could only gasp as she was pulled from where she was standing directly in front it. The suddenness of that attack let her know that she was up against a far superior opponent, and she embraced her death freely.

* * *

Jaem stepped off the boat and fell to his knees on the dock, dry heaving loudly. The sailors on the ship laughed again just as they had been for the past three days. Soroth stepped off the ship behind him, and began patting his back reassuringly.

"There there," the night elf said mirthfully, "We're on solid ground now."

Jaem looked up, only to see himself surrounded by Theramore guards, "I'm sorry! I'll clean it up!"

"Jaem Hamar! Your presence has been requested by the Lady Proudmoore, you will come with us immediately!"

Jaem got to his feet, "Uh, very well. Lead the way."

Theramore Island was in every sense of the word a military base, high walls surrounded the beaches and everywhere Jaem looked soldiers were practicing and patrolling. The sound of a great many blacksmiths mending armor and forging new swords echoed around the fortress.

The guards lead Jaem to a high tower directly across from the large gates that lead into the Dustwallow Marshes, and then up a twisting spiral staircase until he was on top of the tower, and face to face with Jaina Proudmoore.

"Jaem Hamar?" she asked looking directly into his eyes, and Jaem knew that he was in the presence of a powerful sorceress.

"Yes, mi'lady," Jaem answered while going down to one knee quickly.

"You may leave us," Jaina said motioning to the guards, which quickly bowed and left. Jaem looked around to see Soroth still standing behind him.

"Mi'lady, this is Soroth of the night elves, a brave warrior who has helped me reach my destination here."

"Hail, Lady Proudmoore," Soroth said bowing.

Lady Proudmoore nodded and motioned for him to rise, "You were sent to train with Tabitha in the swamps by the mages in Stormwind, correct?"

"Yes, Mi'lady," Jaem said, "I came as quickly as I could."

"That is not the issue. Tabitha and her students were found dead two days ago…a letter telling of your arrival was discovered in her home."

"Slain!" Jaem exclaimed, "By whom!?"

"We are unsure, but we are sure the killing has to do with…certain forces which appear to be on the move again," a shadow came over her face and she stared off into the distance before shaking herself back into the present, "At any rate, I will be your instructor…and then you will be sent through the Dark Portal."

"The Dark Portal!" Jaem exclaimed, "Why would I go there?!"

"To save Azeroth from Illidan Stormrage, the Betrayer of the night elves! You will be my apprentice and my champion."

Soroth suddenly prostrated himself before the lady, "If we are to fight Illidan the Betrayer then I beg that I will be a part of it! I will do whatever is necessary!"

Jainia considered him for a moment before nodding, "Very well. We have much work to do."


End file.
